In this article, we will give you a list of some of the most delicious and common types of edible mushrooms found around the world. While you will need to do your own research and ensure that you are practicing proper foraging habits, this list should give you a good place to start when it comes to delicious mushrooms that you can eat! Let’s get started.
1. Morels
Highly prized in French cuisine, morel mushrooms are difficult to find. You can forage for morels in the springtime, typically in pine forests. They grow around the world, but little is known about how they propagate. Most attempts at growing morels in a commercial setting have failed, leading to more mystery as to how they spread. Their trademark wrinkled caps are fairly easy to pick out, but be aware that false morel mushrooms also exist. Morel mushrooms are also frequently consumed by the grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park!
2. Chanterelles
There are a number of different species of chanterelle mushrooms, depending on your region. They thrive in moist, coniferous forests. Most chanterelles are golden or yellow in color, with some white species as well. Chanterelles are highly prized in the culinary industry for their unique flavor and ease of cooking. You can saute chanterelles, dry them, cook them in wine, and much more!
3. Boletes
There are thousands of different types of bolete mushrooms, most of which are edible. Some of the most popular and prized bolete mushrooms include the king bolete and the bronze bolete. Many beginning foragers start their mushroom hunting journey by learning about different types of bolete mushrooms, primarily because there are very few toxic species in this mushroom genus.
4. Lion’s Mane Mushrooms
Another rare and prized culinary mushroom has to be the lion’s mane mushroom. This elegantly unique mushroom grows in long tendrils on tree trunks and other forested bodies. The smaller the specimen, the more delicate and flavorful it will be, though these mushrooms reportedly live to be decades old! Note that, if you live in the United Kingdom, this mushroom is protected and illegal to pick.
5. Oyster Mushrooms
If you are seeking a relatively common mushroom in the wild or in your grocery store, you should definitely give oyster mushrooms a try. These mushrooms are among the most common in the world, commercially cultivated as well as frequently found by wild foragers. They have a uniquely meaty flavor and they tear easily without needing to be chopped.
6. Chicken of the Woods
Growing as large shelves along oak and willow trees, you are in for a treat if you find the chicken of the woods mushroom in the wild. Not only do these mushrooms taste and feel like their fowl namesake, but they also get extremely large. Some specimens weigh hundreds of pounds, though the smaller the mushroom, the more delicate and delicious it will taste!
7. Hen of the Woods
Not to be confused with the chicken of the woods mushroom, the hen of the woods mushroom grows at the base of trees rather than up the trunks. It grows in large clusters and is primarily found in forested regions of the Eastern United States. If you happen upon a mushroom that you think is a hen of the woods, bring it home, as most lookalikes of the hen of the woods are also not toxic.
8. Witch’s Butter
Classified as Tremella mesenterica, witches’ butter is technically an edible mushroom. Described as jelly-like and flavorless, witches’ butter has a long history of medicinal use and folklore. This is a great natural thickener for soups! It is commonly found around the world, particularly on the stumps of cut trees.
9. Shaggy Manes
If you manage to find a shaggy mane mushroom in the wild, make sure that you pluck it before it starts to turn black. These are incredibly delicious and choice mushrooms to find for a risotto or any other recipe calling for mushrooms. However, as they turn black, their flavor becomes more and more bitter, so keep this in mind.
10. Lobster Mushrooms
Technically a species of fungus rather than a mushroom, the lobster mushroom is still eaten in a culinary capacity because of its texture and flavor. Like its namesake, lobster mushrooms taste and feel like you are eating seafood. Plus the exterior of this fungus matches the shell of a cooked lobster almost precisely!
11. Giant Puffballs
One of the largest single-capped mushroom species out there has to be the giant puffball. Surprisingly, these mushrooms are indeed edible, but you need to make sure that you forage for ones that are pure white in color rather than mottled with yellow or brown. While they don’t taste much, giant puffballs are ideal in a culinary capacity because they take on the flavor of whatever they are cooked with. Editor’s Note: While A-Z Animals does its best to ensure the accuracy of its content and photography, do not eat wild mushrooms without firsthand knowledge from a local mycologist or mushroom expert as many types of mushrooms look similar.
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